Saving Seafood

Woods Hole Group is acquiring Faria Watchdog VMS

August 23, 2022 — Woods Hole Group, Inc. and Riverside Mfg. have entered into an agreement in which Woods Hole Group will purchase the entire fleet of Faria Watchdog Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) dedicated to fisheries products, technologies and services. Woods Hole Group, headquartered in Bourne, Massachusetts, is a subsidiary of CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites) based in France, and is a supplier in good standing with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) within NOAA.

Faria Watchdog VMS systems have supported NMFS in the United States and international fisheries programs for more than a decade, and the fisheries fleet of Faria subscribers has grown to approximately 1,000 vessels, the companies stated in a press release. Riverside will transition active VMS subscriptions, technologies and specific assets to Woods Hole Group “over the next several months with no interruption to service for customers.”

“We are pleased to come to terms with Fred Merritt and his professional team at Riverside to expand our thriving sustainable fisheries business,” says Bob Hamilton, Woods Hole Group CEO. “We look forward to transitioning Riverside’s fisheries client base and technologies to Woods Hole Group, providing quality customer service and access to our industry-leading fisheries intelligence solutions.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

 

MASSACHUSETTS: Candidates for governor, AG, tackle fishing industry concerns

August 15, 2022 — Representatives of the Gloucester fishing industry caught the ears of Democratic candidate for governor Attorney General Maura Healey, and a Democratic candidate for attorney general, Andrea Campbell, during a meeting at the Gloucester House Restaurant on Rogers Street around noon before a campaign canvass kickoff.

The pair heard concerns about the high cost of fuel and offshore wind, among others.

“The price of fuel is killing us right now,” said fisherman Joe Orlando, president of Northeast Fishery Sector II.

“I can’t even imagine. How much does it cost?” Healey asked.

Orlando said the cost went from $2,000 to $6,000.

Healey said it is important for the state to support the fishing industry economically, culturally and historically.

Read the full article at Gloucester Times

MASSACHUSSETTS: New Bedford city councilors look for solution to shellfish bed pollution

August 11, 2022 — The New Bedford City Council Committee on Fisheries voted Tuesday to submit a motion to Mayor Jon Mitchell, requesting he petition the state’s fisheries agency to consider the relocation of shellfish to clean waters.

Since late 2019 to early 2020, shellfishing areas in Clarks Cove and the outer harbor have been closed due to contamination concerns, which has affected people who catch quahogs recreationally and commercially.

Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) staff say the areas have remained closed because releases of sewage from the city’s old sewer system through combined sewer overflows (CSOs) were unmanageable and unpredictable.

Read the full article at New Bedford Light

MASSACHUSETTS: 2022 Boston Seafood Festival: Monkfish, local seafood and how Tommy Lee Jones came up

August 10, 2022 –It was a banner day at the Boston Seafood Festival Sunday.

I suspect the sultry 95-degree temperatures kept some of the crowds at bay, which was nice because while the event, sponsored by the Boston Fisheries Foundation, was well attended it wasn’t a swirling mass of humanity.

Vendors were set up in a long, large horseshoe anchored by the Harpoon beer garden at the water end of the pier. There was also a small stage and a handful of performers while we were there, activities for kids, cooking demonstrations, and thankfully free, cold water everywhere. It was a happy, if not sweaty, crowd.

And there was plenty of both food and information. The event was equal parts education and ingestion. NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, the Seafood Nutrition Partnership, and several other organizations were all namely there for two reasons. One was to remind people that eating local isn’t just about vegetables and craft beer, it extends to seafood as well and two, to be mindful of the preservation of that seafood.

I briefly chatted recipes with a guy from NOAA, when I picked up a recipe card for monkfish. Monkfish is just one of those, frankly frightening-looking fish I’ve yet to try but according to NOAA, it’s a good option.

Wild-caught monkfish are sustainably managed and responsibly harvested according to NOAA. It’s also a good source of protein and rich in other nutrients — just don’t Google a photo of it

Read the full article at WickedLocal.com

MASSACHUSETTS : Shellfish areas remain closed in New Bedford as city works to fix old sewage system

August 9, 2022 — When there is heavy rainfall — and sometimes when it’s dry — openings along New Bedford’s shoreline function as relief valves for the city’s old and overloaded sewer system, spewing into nearby waters a mixture of stormwater and untreated sewage from homes and businesses.

Some of these receiving waters contain beds where people recreationally or commercially harvest little necks, cherry stones and chowders — all types of quahogs.  But when the openings release enough effluent, those areas must temporarily close due to possible contamination.

The state department overseeing fisheries determined in 2020 that New Bedford’s closures due to releases into Clarks Cove and the outer harbor were no longer predictable or manageable, with some overflows going unreported by the city.

As a result, “conditionally approved” areas for shellfishing in those waters have been continuously closed since late 2019 to 2020. More than two years later, a staff member with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) has expressed concern that these shellfishing areas in waters shared by New Bedford, Fairhaven and Dartmouth will be permanently closed due to the sewage releases.

“I am concerned that due to these issues FDA will require both areas be downgraded and reclassified to Prohibited,” wrote the state’s shellfish program manager Jeff Kennedy in a May memo to DMF Director Daniel McKiernan.

The city is engaged in a multi-year improvement plan, under a decree from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and laid out a plan to spend more than $260 million through at least 2036 to upgrade the system. As this work moves along, the city is still grappling with remediating problems created by old, costly-to-fix systems.

According to the EPA, sewage discharges are a “major problem” in the country and cause some bodies of water to remain unsafe for swimming and fishing, with the problem being “especially acute” in New England, where more than 100 communities are affected.

These openings, called combined sewer overflows (CSOs), have decreased in number since the 1990s, and consequently, the city through sewer separation efforts has reduced the amount of sewage outfall from an estimated 3.1 billion gallons in 1990 to about 183 million gallons in 2016, according to a city report.

It was further reduced to 181.9 million gallons from July 2020 through June 2021, according to a city spokesperson.

While the city’s work to improve the system has resulted in thousands of acres of previously closed shellfish areas opening, the affected areas currently closed are about 4,000 acres.

Read the full article at The New Bedford Light

MASSACHUSETTS: ‘Wicked Tuna’ captain sets sights on selling you tuna

August 8, 2022 — Fans of “Wicked Tuna” often ask Capt. Dave Marciano of Beverly how they might get a taste of the giant bluefin tunas he and his fellow boat captains reel out of the Gulf of Maine on the popular National Geographic reality TV show.

“People have said this to me a hundred times, ‘Where can we get some of the fish that we see you catch on the show?’ I bet I have been asked that a thousand times. and I can’t send them anywhere to get a piece of the fish,” besides a few local restaurants, he said, or maybe a sushi buyer looking for tuna with a high fat for the Asian market.

“We’ve put this name in the households,” Marciano said. “We’ve put the idea of this product in people’s heads. Right now we just can’t send it to them. Well, that’s about to change.”

Starting Sept. 1, Marciano, whose Angelica Fisheries offers fishing charters aboard the fishing vessels Hard Merchandise and Falcon from Gloucester, is casting out his reality show fame to hook customers as he starts a new business called Angelica Seafoods.

The business plans to offer premium fresh seafood products from Gloucester and New England.

Read the full article at Gloucester Times

MASSAHCUSETTS: Head of NOAA Fisheries visits New Bedford, impact of offshore wind development on fishing a concern

August 5, 2022 — The Biden administration fast-tracked the permitting process for offshore wind, with Vineyard Wind slated to become the first large-scale project in regional waters. The joint venture secured all necessary permitting in 2021 and aims to complete construction by 2024.

Details of the meeting are vague, as it was not made open to the public. But Hansen said that Coit was receptive to the concerns. “She understood the reasoning behind it and thought it was a good idea,” he said.

Briefly discussed was the controversial, industry-backed scallop leasing proposal, said three in attendance. The proposal has split local fishermen and owners of scallop vessels. Many fishermen have voiced opposition in a series of public hearings held through the summer, fearing that it will lead to further consolidation and outsized influence of Wall Street over the port and their livelihoods. Some of the largest commercial fishing companies have stated their support, saying it will improve efficiency and allow companies to trim operational costs.

Read the full article at The New Bedford Light

MASSACHUSETTS: Boston Seafood Festival Returns this Sunday

August 4, 2022 — The following was released by the Boston Seafood Festival

 

Event:                          Boston Seafood Festival

Date:                            Sunday, August 7, 2022 from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Location:                     Boston’s Fish Pier, Boston MA 02210

About:   The 9th Annual Boston Seafood Festival will open its gates to thousands of visitors to enjoy culinary demonstrations, learn about the fishing industry, and enjoy seafood from some of the region’s best restaurants. Hosted on the historic Boston Fish Pier, the event occurs in the heart of the New England fishing industry.

 

Website:                                                         www.bostonseafoodfestival.org

 

Tickets:  Tickets remain available for purchase at bostonseafoodfestival.org, or at the event gate on Sunday. General admission tickets are $20 for adults, $7 for children aged six through 12, and free for children aged five and under.

 

Beneficiary:                 A portion of all proceeds support the Boston Fisheries Foundation, a non-profit organization created to preserve, sustain, and share the region’s seafood and maritime heritage.

 

Social Media:              Find event updates on the Boston Seafood Festival Facebook page, @BostonSeaFest on Twitter, or join the conversation by using #BostonSeaFest.

           

 

About the Boston Fisheries Foundation:

The Boston Fisheries Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created to preserve, sustain, and share the region’s seafood and maritime heritage, and the regional economy it supports. The BFF works to protect our oceans and fisheries while promoting Boston’s historic Fish Pier. The BFF created the Boston Seafood Festival to celebrate Boston’s rich fishing history, its bustling economic impact, and its bright, sustainable future.

 

Schedule of Events            Boston Seafood Festival, Sunday, August 4, 2019

11:00 a.m. Festival Begins (Beer Garden, Lobster Bake Tent, Kids Activities begin) Opening Gate
11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Music by Acoustic Aaron Lobster Bake Tent

 
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Music by Rocking Rose Mid-Per Riser
11:45 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. Chef Demonstrations Throughout Pier

 
12:30 p.m. – 12:50 p.m. Welcome Remarks and Seafood

Hall of Fame Inductions (Lisa

Weiland, J.J. Bartlett, Ray Flynn)

 Main Stage
12:50 p.m. – 1:20 p.m. Inclusive Unity Blessing Main Stage
 

1:15 p.m.

 Showing of Dead in the Water The Exchange Center
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lion and Tiger Dancers Throughout Pier
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Fish Cutting Demonstrations Mid-Pier Riser
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Roving Pirates Throughout Pier
2:45 p.m. – 5:40 p.m. Music from Hipshot Band Set 1 Main Stage
3:00 p.m. Battle of the Shuckers Oyster Shucking Competition Mid-Pier Riser
3:00 p.m. Showing of Fish & Men The Exchange Center
4:30 p.m. Showing of A Fish Story The Exchange Center
6:00 p.m. Festival Ends

 

MASSACHUSETTS: New England Fishery Management Council seeks fisherfolk to serve on advisory councils

July 26, 2022 — NEW BEDFORD — The New England Fishery Management Council announced Monday that it is looking for fishermen to serve three-year terms on multiple advisory councils.

The Council said in a press release that it is looking for a wide range of fishermen — from groundfish, monkfish, recreational, and other fisheries — to fill seats on nine advisory councils.

Read the full article at South Coast Today